A Lily and a Rose
by dinolove453
Summary: The Doctor had another companion, in between Martha and Donna. And thanks to her, maybe, just maybe, the Doctor could be with Rose forever. Set after Voyage of the Damned but before Partners in Crime, and then during The Stolen Earth. 10/Rose 10.5/OC
1. Barefoot

The Doctor sails through time and space, not really noticing where his TARDIS takes him, though he knows that he's in the vicinity of Earth. For some reason, his eyes glaze over as he considers the past events, the people he's known and lost. Rose sticks out in his mind, as always; the very fact that he lost her drives him insane, especially during the one hour that he slept per week. It was always her face, her image that swirled around and around in his mind as he realized he needed to rest. That was what usually triggered it, you see- the endless image of her signaled it was time for a short nap.

But the Doctor isn't tired right now, and he isn't incoherent. He's just thinking, thinking of a girl named Rose who got trapped away in a parallel universe and remained there. He sighs and sits back in the Commander's chairs, not noticing as the TARDIS moves without his permission, soaring down and down towards the green and blue planet below. He finally notices this rapid movement as the TARDIS lurches and shakes and sighs, and he cries out in disbelief, "What? What? WHAT?"

And then the TARDIS lands, and all he can do is sigh. Then he grins, and turns to the companion that isn't there to cry, "Let's see what's out there, then!" But then he sees that Rose is lost and Martha has left him, and he sighs. At the least, he doesn't have to worry about anyone's safety but his own. He steps outside and sees the strangest sight- the streets of Chicago, Illinois, some-when about 2007, perhaps early 2008. He looks around and frowns; such a boring time to be in, for Chicago. But he might as well look around while, while he's here.

So he steps outside of the TARDIS and walks down the city streets, watching as people move past him, hustling and bustling in typical human city-dweller fashion. But he smiles, reveling in the chaos. Ah, Humans! They fascinated him, to the end.

He walks past a giant greenhouse, filled with plants and flowers. Everything in the greenhouse is alive and well, and he decides to go in, thriving on the feeling of plant life and such. Every now and then, everyone should visit a greenhouse. It was good biologic therapy; botany did things to other living creatures that nothing else could. Maybe it was those oxygen omissions from photosynthesis.

He strolls among the potted flowers, stacked up on shelves and towering over an average-sized person. Being rather tall by human standards, the Doctor isn't perturbed and can easily examine the topmost flowers. They are all roses, and the mere sight of their red and pink and white colors makes him swallow out of pain. But he continues on, and next to the shelves of flowers is a giant display of flower bouquets, bouquets of petunias and geraniums and carnations and lilacs and sunflowers and lilies. He examines closely five bouquets of bright orange tiger lilies, which were arranged not in a line like the others but in a small little circle. Perturbed, the Doctor peers forward and is somewhat startled by rustling in the flowers. He regains his composure and moves aside one of the bouquet wrappings and is amused by the sight that greets him.

Buried in between the flowers is a little girl, only about five or maybe six years old. She has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing a knee-length aqua blue dress and a denim jacket. She has no shoes on, and she looks up at the Doctor with a wide-eyed, terrified facial expression. Her eyes are teal in color, the most startling pair of eyes the Doctor has ever seen. He smiles down warmly at the girl, his eyes alight with amusement.

"And who are you?" he asks, almost cooing, kneeling down to the height of the three-foot girl.

"I dunno," she mumbles, leaving her small circle of flowers. Her voice bears an American accent, though young and high-pitched.

"Really? You don't know your name?" the Doctor prods, frowning. He knows human development, and by that age most human children would definetly know their name- usually their address and telephone number and alphabet and numbers, too. But nothing surprises him anymore.

"Nope," she shakes her head sadly, "I woke up in the streets, sir, and it was warm here, so I came over."

"You don't remember your parents? Your home?" the Doctor raises his eyebrows, praying for some sort of information so that he can bring the little girl home.

"Last thing I remember, before coming here, was my mommy and my daddy yelling at me to go and hide. Don't remember what they called me," the girl shrugs, looking away from the Doctor's face in embarrassment, "But they were worried, there were round things in the sky and they killed my parents. Round, dark things, things my parents called aliens. That's all I remember. "

The Doctor's frown increases in magnitude. The destruction of the paradox machine should have erased that memory from the little girl's mind, and her parents should have survived. What could have caused this? His mind whirs with explanations. Perhaps they had some sort of significance with the paradox, so the parents still died, and the erasure of the year-that-never-was from the girls mind erased all but that event from it.

"Well," the Doctor pauses, "How have you been coping, out here in a greenhouse, then? It's been a while since that happened."

"The people who come here drop lots of food, and water is everywhere for the plants, and it's really warm," the little girl smiles brightly, "I like it here."

"Wouldn't you rather be with a nice family? Friends? A home and bed of your own? Good food every day and water that you drink out of a glass?" the Doctor asks kindly.

"Well, yes, but no one has found me before you, mister," the girl shrugs, "And it's better here than outside, on the streets, where it's cold and food isn't easy to come by."

"Hmm," the Doctor pauses, and then straightens up to his full height, "Would you like to have a home?"

"Oh, yes mister! Can you find me a family? A home? I'd like that, I really would," she affirms cheerfully. The Doctor smiles despite himself. The innocence of children had that affect on him, always.

"Okedoke, let me just go check on something and then I can find a place where you can get a home. I have to return to my home for juuuuust a bit," the Doctor shrugs. He gently takes her small hand in his, and felt his heart warmed somewhat by the fact that her hand was so small his completely enveloped hers. She smiles up at him, beaming, with a wide toothy smile- all of her baby teeth were in and none of her grown up teeth had yet fallen, the perfect child smile. She looked _so_ innocent for one who had been through _so_ much.

They walk down the streets together, her skipping somewhat and smiling, her hair bouncing around. She is the perfect picture of an innocent little girl, and the Doctor smiles to himself. He hadn't felt like a father in such a long time, but there it was. That protective instinct, that loving instinct, the feeling he hasn't felt since long before the Time War, long before all that had happened.

"Well, we'll need to give you a name, won't we? Can't bring you to a family and tell them you have no name," the Doctor laughs. The little girl giggles as well.

"Do you have a name that you like in particular? Like Helen or Valerie or Darcy or Barbara?" the Doctor asks absentmindedly as they make their way towards the TARDIS.

"I like those flowers I was sitting in, for so long. What are they called, sir?" she asks cheerfully.

"Lilies. Tiger lilies, to be exact," the Doctor nods, "Lily's a pretty name. Do you like it?"

"Oh, yes! Yes I do!" the girl smiles, "But I can't _only_ be called Lily. Don't people usually have two names?"

"They usually have three- a first name, which people usually call other people, then a middle name that's rather secret, and then a surname- last name- that tells people what family they're from. You'll get a surname when you get a new family. But what would you like your middle name to be?" the Doctor asks.

"Well, there was another flower there that I liked, lots of people bought it, though, so I couldn't hide there. I remember, they are called roses. Could I be called Lily Rose?" she asks hopefully. The Doctor swallows. He wishes she hadn't asked that. But he really won't see her again after he finds her a home, so what's it to him?

"All right then, Lily Rose!" the Doctor laughs, "Just wait out here, I'll be right back," he instructs as he goes inside the TARDIS, which they had just stopped in front of. Lily, however, can't contain her enthusiasm. She runs inside after him, like a lost puppy, and gasps. The giant space inside just _couldn't_ fit inside that small blue box. It just... it couldn't! She giggles and runs over to sit on the Commander's Chair. Maybe it was magic. She would believe in anything, now.

And then the TARDIS takes its chance and begins to whir, whir and hum and groan. The Doctor emerges from a hallway and gasps, seeing Lily sitting on the chair and the TARDIS disappearing away from the grand city of Chicago.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he gasps, running forward and looking at the readings on the TARDIS screen, "Oh come _on_ old girl, where are you taking me now?"

"What is this place? Is this your home?" Lily asks cheerfully.

The Doctor looks over at her, and sighs, realizing that he might as well get used to her presence, "Yes, well, sort of. I guess it is. It's called the TARDIS."

"Tar-dis," Lily repeats, frowning.

"It's... well, it's a spaceship. And a time machine," the Doctor sighs.

Lily gasps, "Cool! Hey, mister, I never asked, what's _your_ name?"

The Doctor looks over at her and frowns, "The Doctor."

"The Doctor? That's it? What about your middle name, or your sir-name?" Lily asks in confusion.

"Nope," the Doctor pops the 'p', "I just go by The Doctor. But that's a _very_ long story."

"Ah," Lily nods, "So, did the Tar-dis just start up by itself?"

"Looks like it," the Doctor runs a hand through his hair in exasperation, "It doesn't do this often, but when it does it's important."

"Ah," Lily swings her legs against the chair, "Do you have a bathroom, Doctor?"

The Doctor looks up in shock- he hadn't been asked that question in a while, "It's just down the hall, over there," he points absentmindedly, "Immediately to the right."

"Okedoke," Lily gets up and skips down the hall. She evidently finds the bathroom, for she comes back soon after with a clean face and an even wider smile. At this moment, the TARDIS begins to moan and groan as it comes to a faltering stop. Lily stumbles forward at the lurching of the machine, but the Doctor is quick and reaches out to catch her.

"Thank you, Doctor," she smiles happily and stands up, "I don't suppose you have shoes?"

The Doctor sighs and runs a hand through his hair, "Where'd your shoes go, then?"

Lily shrugs, "I dunno. Where'd my memories go?"

"Good one," the Doctor laughs, "Okay, yeah, lemme see..." he runs down the hall to the female wardrobe, which he hasn't entered in eons, ever since Rose. But he doesn't think of this as he finds a pair of child sandals and runs back out, handing them to Lily.

"Well, I suppose we should go see what's out there... if it's dangerous, though, we have to come back inside, no matter how cool it is, alright?" the Doctor asks.

"Okedoke," Lily nods, "One last question, though, if it's okay."

"Yeah?" the Doctor asks.

"Where are you from? You don't sound like all the people I met in the flower place," Lily frowns in childish puzzlement.

"Well, I sound like I'm from Britain, but I'm actually from far, far away," the Doctor laughs.

"Where? Are you an... an... what's it called... alien, right?" Lily asks.

"Yup," the Doctor grins cheekily, "Is that okay with you?"

"Oh yes! That's cool!" Lily claps and jumps up and down.

"Alright then. Let's go see if what's outside is cool, too?" he suggests, holding out his hand for her to take. She nods and takes his hand, and he envelopes hers with his.

"Let's see, then," the Doctor nods. They go over to the door and open it, stepping into the sun.

A/N: Well, this is starting out as an experiment- please review, though, reviews feed my desire to write! Plus they'll tell me whether or not this is, to coin the British phrase, 'complete rubbish." Yay! Please review!


	2. Shining Armor

Ch. 2: Shining Armor

Outside of the TARDIS lies the most magnificent sight Lily had ever seen. The sun was bright and warm overhead, and the grass was the deepest shade of green she had ever seen before. They were standing in the middle of a small forest, and a run-down stone path went between the trees. Birds were chirping and squirrels were running about.

Before the Doctor can stop her, Lily runs ahead, humming and singing and skipping and looking in between all the trees. He sighs and follows after her, speed walking to keep up with her quick pace. She is laughing happily, peering amongst all the foliage and woodland creatures. The Doctor can't help but smile, though he's weary: for him, halcyon scenes usually led to danger of some sort. Rather unfortunate, but he couldn't take chances.

So he goes up behind her, suddenly nervous, and picks her up off the ground. She giggles and shrieks as the Doctor puts her on her back and declares, in a most out-of-character manner, "Piggy back time!" Lily laughs and wraps her arms tightly around the Doctor's neck and her legs snugly around his waist. He obligingly holds onto her feet and continues to walk down the pathway, amused by her humming in his ear. He is equally amused by the fact that he would even offer a piggy back ride to a child he barely knew. The world was a strange place.

He walks quickly down the path, and soon enough they reemerge in the middle of a bright green field. Lily gasps as she sees in the distance a giant, grey castle. The Doctor raises his eyebrows and looks around him. Way off, farming fields could be seen and a bit closer two men on horseback, wearing suits of armor, galloped towards them.

"Well!" the Doctor, pleased now that he's solved the mystery of where they were, "It appears, my good Lily, that we are in Medieval England."

"The Middle Ages?" she gasps.

"Funny how you remember that but not your own name," the Doctor chuckles as he moves off the side of the road to allow the horses their path.

"I had a book with me about the middle ages," Lily explains, "Along with a book on Ancient Egypt and the dinosaurs. They were in my backpack, but I lost it three days before you found me, Doctor."

"Ah. I'm sorry. I have loads of books in the TARDIS, though," the Doctor offers, before realizing that he shouldn't be encouraging the child to stay. Traveling with him was dangerous enough for someone in their twenties, much less a six-year-old child.

The two men on horseback slow down and stop when they reach the Doctor and Lily, and one of them removes his helmet. The other keeps his on, sitting impatiently on his horse. The first man has long, wavy black hair and a long dark mustache.

"And who are you, then?" he demands, "You are currently entering my manor, and I demand to know your name."

The Doctor manages to reach into his pocket to pull out his psychic paper without dropping Lily. He flashes the paper and then looks at it.

"I am Sir Jonathan of Tardis and this is my daughter, Lillian. She goes by Lily. We have traveled very, very far and seek refuge for the night," he lies on the spot, Lily smiling innocently from behind his head.

"Ah," the man nods, "I am Sir Vincent of Cardiff, and my companion, Sir William, and I were just headed out for a morning ride. But my wife, Lady Caroline, should be inside waiting for you. Ah... where is your wife?" he asks curiously.

"She died," the Doctor replies simply, fighting the urge to say _Lady Rose was lost in a major siege_. That would just be pushing the boundary a little too far, haunting his vision a little too much.

"I am so sorry for your loss. Just continue on ahead, sir, and please don't mind the serfs. They shouldn't bother you, but you know servants!" he chuckles and the two continue along the road. The Doctor hears Sir William mutter in disbelief to Sir Vincent, claiming that any knight in good standing would have a horse, and certainly wouldn't be carrying their daughter on their back. The Doctor laughs, rolls his eyes and continues on towards the castle.

A serf, dressed in dirty rags reminiscent of _Monty Python and the Holy Grail_, approaches the two meekly. The Doctor stops in the middle of the road, looking upon the serf in pity.

"And what's your name, then?" the Doctor asks. Lily peers around his head and watches the grimy man in curiosity.

"Me name's Henry, sir," Henry explains, "And I'm right hungry, sir. Don't suppose you have any food?"

"Not _on_ me, Henry," the Doctor pauses, saddened by his failed ability to help, "But I might have some later. I promise to find and help you if I can."

"Thankee, sir," Henry bows and slinks back into the field. The Doctor sighs, trying not to consider the pain this man was probably going through, and continues on the way to the castle.

"I'm hungry too, Doctor," Lily mumbles in his ear. The Doctor nods, realizing that she probably hasn't eaten in ages, and quickens his pace towards the castle. They soon reach the portcullis, which opens up slowly and methodically for them. Lily giggles happily in his ear and the Doctor can't help but grin broadly. Something about the giggle of a child always made him smile.

They walk inside the grimy, gloomy, grubby halls of the castle and Lily slides off the Doctor's back, taking to walking next to him and holding his hand instead. They go through the fields inside of the outer wall and are approached by a tall, grim looking woman. She wears the garb of the aristocracy, her hands folded across her stomach. A light, purplish bruise was spread in the bottom of her eye.

"And who might you be?" she demands in a crisp, cool French accent.

"I am Sir Jonathan of Tardis, and this is my daughter Lillian. We were merely traveling along the road and sought shelter for the evening. I presume you are the Lady of the castle?" the Doctor asks, smiling widely up at her.

"You are dressed strangely for a knight," the Lady hums, "Such tightly fit clothing, with no tunic! And you lack a horse and armor and squire. And your daughter, why, she is practically naked! How am I supposed to believe your story, that you are a knight?"

The Doctor pulls out his psychic paper, and the lady appears convinced. The Doctor continues, explaining, "Our castle was besieged by the Vikings and we only managed to escape with our lives and the clothes on our backs at the time. Tardis is... a strange land, filled with odd clothing by the standards of Cardiff, my lady. My wife perished in the destruction. And as for the lack of armor, Tardis is a peaceful province. I am not a soldier in my land, but a doctor. A healer." Lily next to him, catching on to this game, controls her giggles behind his hand.

"Ah, a lord of the manor and a doctor as well! You are not a monk, then? Nor a priest? Do you live near a university?" the Lady asks casually, walking slowly toward the pair.

"Nay, I am neither a monk nor a priest, though I did study at a university," the Doctor pauses, "I am so sorry to impose on you, my Lady, but we must rest here before continuing on our way."

"Oh, it is no trouble at all. We will be hosting a jousting tournament tomorrow and I'm sure my husband, Sir Vincent, would be honored by your presence," the Lady nods.

"What is your name?" Lily asks cheerfully. The Lady raises one of her eyebrows in distaste. The Doctor clears his throat and tries to take the Lady's fury away from Lily.

"Excuse my daughter, my Lady, but she has not been well trained in the English rules of etiquette," he explains in a rush.

"Quite," the Lady pauses, "My name, child, is Lady Elizabeth of Cardiff. Please, Sir Doctor, take your child upstairs and have her washed and more properly dressed. She looks as if she is a wild druid from Ireland. A most... unpleasant... sight."

"Of course, Lady Elizabeth," the Doctor agrees hastily and the two go upstairs in a rush, the Lady watching them with intrigued eyes. They are directed by another servant towards an empty room, where Lily will be able to find some clothes. The Doctor pauses and finds a dress inside and hands it to Lily, who runs off to the wardrobe and dresses as the Doctor watches the window. The serfs are all toiling in the fields, and it's a heartbreaking sight for him as he sees how cruelly they are treated.

_Must not interfere... this is the lot of many people in England, now... interfering here wouldn't do anything, it would just complicate matters..._ the Doctor pauses and sighs. He wishes he could do something to help them.

Lily reemerges and runs up to the Doctor, smiling happily. The Doctor grins back, despite himself, and they walk down to the dining hall. Lady Elizabeth is waiting there, directing the servants as they prepare food. Sir Vincent and Sir William are back and already sitting down at the table.

"Can't you direct that... child," Lady Elizabeth chokes on her words, as if she would rather say something less respectful such as _urchin_ or _runt_, "To a more proper dining area? She may eat with the servants."

"No," the Doctor replies firmly, "She stays with me."

Lady Elizabeth looks severely disappointed, but Sir Vincent smiles widely.

"You must forgive my wife, Sir Jonathan. She has such disdain for children! It's the strangest thing. Please, you and Lillian may sit with us," he offers. The Doctor and Lily sit down, Lily eagerly eating the food put in front of her, not caring that it was almost underdone and rather gross in texture- but what could you expect with thirteenth century food?

The meal passes in silence, with the Doctor nervously looking away from all their faces. He should have brought Lily back to 21st century Chicago immediately after the TARDIS left. But he didn't.

Soon enough, the evening comes and everyone retreats to their bedchambers. The Doctor, not needing much sleep, tucks Lily into the bed. She's already fallen asleep, her little face so peaceful that the Doctor's hearts break just looking at her and imagining the pain she's been through. He sighs, looks at her one last time, and closes the door behind him. He wanders along the dark corridors of the castle, not seeing anything, not looking at anything. His mind wanders back to Astrid, Martha, Donna, Rose... he imagines that they are all happy, where they are- Astrid, though dead, among the stars; Martha finally becoming a doctor, as she's always wanted; Donna finding happiness wherever she is, perhaps getting a new job and a new, less evil boyfriend; and Rose... oh Rose...

_Please let Rose be happy_, he thinks to himself, a lone tear trickling down his cheek, _if she's happy, then at least there's something good in the universe._

Believing himself to be alone, the Doctor is startled by the sound of footsteps approaching him. He turns around and sees Lady Elizabeth, her hands folded across her chest.

"Hello, Sir Jonathan the doctor. I would have thought you would be with your... daughter," she sputters in irritation.

"I'm letting her sleep. She's exhausted," the Doctor pauses, "She's had a long journey."

"And you? You have had a long journey too, I assume," she approaches him slowly, an intense look in her eyes.

"Well, yes, but I don't need much sleep," the Doctor shrugs.

"Hmm," she pauses, "Neither do I."

"Wonderful," he raises an eyebrow, "Why aren't you with your husband, then?"

"That man is concerned only with producing an heir. I cannot approach him," the Lady sputters.

"Well, I am truly sorry, my Lady," the Doctor shrugs, "But there is nothing I can do to help you with that."

"Oh, you can comfort me, surely," she smiles seductively, stepping closer to the Doctor, who takes a step backwards.

"I don't know what you mean," the Doctor stammers, backing away from her.

"You seem like such a... lonely man. Wouldn't you like some company?" Elizabeth inquires in a soft voice.

"No, I really, really wouldn't," he shakes his head furiously.

"Every man likes company now and then," she argues.

"Except for me, you'll find I am an anomaly..." the Doctor scurries out of the way and runs down the hall, back to the bedroom. He quietly shuts and locks the door, panting against it. All this running would eventually drive him insane.

A few seconds later, he hears the scream of Lady Elizabeth and groans. That would wake up the whole castle, that would. Lily remains asleep, only mumbling slightly and curling over in her bed.

Then the door bangs open. Sir Vincent stands in the doorway, in some sort of medieval sleepwear, his eyes slanted and angry.

"And who do you think you are, to try seducing my wife?" he roars.

"What? _What?_" the Doctor cries, "_She_ tried to seduce _me_, my Lord!"

"A likely story, she would never betray me like that!" he argues.

"Right," the Doctor sighs, "Fine, I shall leave the castle, then."

"Nay, you are mistaken!" Sir Vincent roars, "You will not be allowed to leave until I have restored my honor."

"Blimey, do we really have to go through all that?" the Doctor rolls his eyes, "Fine. Tomorrow I will joust with you, and _then_ will you be satisfied?"

"You may laugh now, _Sir Doctor_," Sir Vincent sneers, "But tomorrow victory shall be mine!"

"Yeah, yeah, blimey, you humans," the Doctor mutters under his breath as he goes back into his room. He watches Lily sleep with a sad facial expression, feeling guilt poor through his soul at the sight of her. Why does he always have to put those he cares about in danger? Who _knew_ what Sir Vincent would do for his "revenge."

The next morning, Lily is sitting excitedly in the stands, next to the serf Henry. The Doctor trusts Henry, but even so he gives him a bit of bread and cheese nicked from the kitchens in return for watching the girl.

"It's my pleasure, mi' Lord," Henry explains before food even comes out of the Doctor's pockets, "The little girl shall come to no harm."

The Doctor gives him the food and a banana with a thankful smile. Henry's mouth turns upward in a wide grin and he bows thankfully. Lily takes his hand, completely trusting him, and walks with him over to the peasant's patch of grass. The Doctor wonders, for a moment, how Lily never was stolen by a stranger or got into trouble with such a trusting nature. Perhaps she only was so trusting because she knew the Doctor was near.

The Doctor dresses in a suit of armor, grumbling to himself. The things he got into during his travels! It almost makes him want to go domestic. Almost.

He goes out onto the track, where a grubby horse is waiting wearing adornments in TARDIS blue. The Doctor sighs and gets up onto the horse, praying that he remembers how to do this. Sir Vincent, getting up on his magnificent horse decked in the colors of his castle, looks rather imposing. The Doctor snaps shut his helmet, but not before smiling warmly over at Lily. Lily grins and waves at him, Henry waving cautiously as well. The Doctor sits forward, his lance poised and ready, and closes his eyes.

"On three, you may charge for round one, Sir Jonathan and Sir Vincent," Sir William, the judge, announced with a sneer. The Doctor braces himself and concentrates on only beating Sir Vincent, not killing him.

"One!" Sir William calls. The Doctor tries to remember where to hit a person so as to knock them off their horse but not kill them.

"Two!" Sir William continues, and the Doctor prays that Henry or someone else could take care of little Lily in case this doesn't go well.

"Three!" and the Doctor urges his horse forward and Sir Vincent does the same. For being old and out of shape, the horse moves quickly, and the Doctor manages to dodge the lance of Sir Vincent as his bashes his own lance against Sir Vincent's side. Sir Vincent falls to the ground as his horse continues to run, and the Doctor raises his lance in the air happily. He can hear Lily clap happily on the sidelines, Henry cheering along with her.

"Round One goes to Sir Jonathan," Sir William announces gravely, and the Doctor can detect the annoyance in his voice as he turns around to face Sir Vincent again, from the other side of the track. Sir Vincent gets up clumsily onto his horse, yelling at his squires and serfs that he can manage on his own. The Doctor chuckles under his breath in amusement.

"On my count, Sir Vincent and Sir Jonathan," Sir William yells, and the Doctor watches as Sir Vincent steadies himself on his horse.

_He'll be ready for that this time_, the Doctor thinks to himself as he leans forward. He'll need to pull out more tricks this time.

"One!" Sir William cries out. The Doctor sighs, thinking of Rose's face regretfully for a minute. What would she say, if she were here? Something about how brave he is, no doubt. Maybe some sort of innuendo about the magical things he can do with long poles.

"Two!" Sir William continues, and the Doctor thinks regretfully of Martha Jones and how he broke her heart. Would he ever be able to forgive himself? He didn't really know.

"Three!" and the Doctor, impassioned with these thoughts of his amazing companions, urges his horse forward with all speed. He doesn't see, however, that Sir Vincent is already near him, having slowly moved forward during the count. He is blindsided by Sir Vincent's lance in his face, and he falls to the ground with a grunt.

"No!" he hears Henry cry out in anxiety, and even notices Lily's distressed shriek.

"Round two, Sir Vincent!" Sir William cries out in pure happiness. The Doctor groans and gets up onto his horse all by himself, realizing that he'd really have to be more careful this time.

As soon as he gets up on his horse, Sir William opens his mouth to start the countdown, not even pausing to let the Doctor catch his breath. The Doctor doesn't mind, however; he is ready whether he has ten minutes or seconds.

"Last round, on my count, knights of the realm," Sir William begins. The Doctor knows exactly what to do now; he focuses and watches Sir Vincent carefully.

"One!" Sir William calls. The Doctor gives the thumbs-up to Lily on the side, who giggles.

"Two!" The Doctor braces himself, ready for anything Sir Vincent would throw at him.

"Three!" And the Doctor is off like a shot, heeding his horse forward and colliding with Sir Vincent head-on. His lance stabs Sir Vincent in the side, just away so that the wound isn't fatal. Sir Vincent falls to the ground in shock, not even given time to react. The Doctor gallops off to the end, laughing and pulling off his helmet and getting off his horse. Lily runs up to him, ecstatic, and hugs him around the middle. The Doctor pats the top of her head fondly.

"Round three, Sir Jonathan. And the tournament goes to Sir Jonathan," Sir William acknowledges unwillingly. Sir Vincent gets up and approaches the Doctor, one of his squires attempting to treat his wound.

"You have proven your mettle as a Knight of the Realm, Sir Jonathan of Tardis," Sir Vincent grunts angrily, "But you have outstayed your welcome here."

"Understood," the Doctor nods, "Please allow me to change and for my daughter and me to change."

"You'd better do it before I come back from my tent," Sir Vincent hisses. The Doctor nods and runs up through the castle, Henry and Lily following him quietly. He changes on his own in the corner of the room back into his pin-stripe suit, and picks Lily up onto his shoulders.

"I wish you well, Henry," the Doctor pauses, frowning.

"Sir, couldn't you drop me off at a place of refuge?" Henry begs, "Sir Vincent will not take kindly to my being your accomplice."

"All right, then," the Doctor nods, "Come with me."

They run out of the castle, heeding Sir Vincent's warning, and go back into the forest. Sir Vincent doesn't even notice that Henry has disappeared. They run through the forest and eventually reach the TARDIS, the Doctor pausing and looking apologetically at Henry.

"I'm sorry for this, Henry, but it really is best that you don't remember how you got to the town," and the Doctor hits Henry upside the head, just hard enough to send him unconscious but not so hard as to cause permanent damage. Lily cries out in terror and the Doctor kneels down to her height to sooth her, reassuring her that Henry would be okay. Then the Doctor snaps open the TARDIS doors with the click of his fingers and picks up Henry, carrying him over to the Commander's chairs and laying him down.

He quickly whirrs the TARDIS to life and brings it to medieval London, instructing Lily to stay inside of the TARDIS. She complies, sitting down immediately in the chairs as the Doctor picks up Henry and goes outside. He wanders the dirty streets of London, looking anxiously for a hospital (well, not really) or a monastery (hopefully) or an inn (second best.) He finally finds an inn, and approaches the plump grimy innkeeper nervously.

"I'm sorry to bother you, sir," the Doctor pauses, "But I really need to give this man a room at the inn. I will pay for it all myself. He is exhausted, but should be awake soon."

"Of course," the inn keeper nodded, "As the Good Samaritan teaches us, we must provide for those in need. Room and board for a week should cost you ten florins."

The Doctor nods and pulls out a few gold coins from his pocket, amazed that he has these on him, or any money at all. He pays the rent and brings Henry up to his room, hoping that life would be good to him from now on.

He then runs back to the TARDIS and begins to fiddle with the controls to get Lily back to her own time. But she approaches him, gently tugging on the edge of his suit.

"Yes, Lily? I'm a bit busy," the Doctor answers, but not unkindly. He leans down to Lily's height in order to talk to her.

"Can we go somewhere else? This is so cool!" Lily beams, "You're like the people in my book on the middle ages. You're a Knight in Shining Armor."

The Doctor laughs, unable to contain the mirth, "Well, sure we can go somewhere else. I thought you wanted to have a real family, though? I mean," he pauses, "It's dangerous, traveling with me."

"I wanna stay!" Lily cries, frowning and feeling tears leak out of her eyes, "You're so nice and so kind and so brave and I don't _wanna_ be with anyone else!"

"There there," the Doctor sooths, bringing Lily into a warm and comforting hug, "It's alright. Yes, you can stay, but if I ever tell you to run or get back to the TARDIS or hide, you _have_ to do so. No arguing, you follow my orders and instructions. If you don't do that, then you're going straight back to Chicago and to a new family. Understood?"

"Yes, oh yes, Doctor," Lily beams, "As long as I can stay with you, I'll do anything!"

"Alright then," the Doctor straightens up and begins to fiddle with the controls. He looks back and down at Lily with an amused smile, "Knight in shining armor?"

Lily nods eagerly, sitting up on the chairs and looking at him with wide eyes.

"I like that," the Doctor laughs, "Allons-y!" and he kicks the TARDIS into the Vortex and all of time and space.

A/N: I like this chapter even better, yay. Sorry it took so long to get here- I'm working on two Doctor Who stories at once and I'm going to alternate chapters. Anyways, as always, please review- and thanks to everyone who reviewed! Reviews are like my drug. No, sorry, Doctor Who's like my drug; reviews are something else. I'll come up with a better metaphor later. You get the point. Please review!


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